Makoto looked up from what she was doing to see an agitated Rei in front of
her. "What's wrong?"
"Spar. Now." Without further questioning, the tall woman followed her friend to the training center. They both transformed and began their warm- up exercises. It started off easy, with simple dodges and blows, but Makoto noticed a conviction in the punches that seemed to be aimed outside of the ring. Their hands met again, the slapping of flesh and the smell of sweat beginning to fill the room. Makoto knew well enough by this time that something was bothering her friend, and was wise enough to let her beat out her aggressions without question. It wasn't until she blocked a stinging blow from Rei that she dared ask anything.
"Okay. Out with it." She demanded, gripping Rei's arm and twisting it. The smaller senshi was breathing heavily but struggled only slightly.
"What do you mean?" she panted, blowing a lock of hair out of her mouth. She wrenched free and began again.
"I mean, something's on your mind. We sparred yesterday, Rei. You wouldn't need this unless something was on your mind. I know you too well by now, so out with it."
Rei grunted and lunged again. "It's nothing." Jupiter laughed and rolled out of the way easily.
"Really, Rei, you know you'll feel better if you just talk to me." She kicked her feet out and knocked the Martian down. Rei took the tumble and rolled back into a standing position. She let down her stance a moment to run her hand through her sweaty hair. Jupiter stood too and took the chance to catch her breath.
"You're right, of course. I would, too, if I could get my thoughts in order." In an instant, she had taken on battle stance and tackled Jupiter. With a cry, the two women toppled to the ground. "How can you stand it, Mako? Having them in our personal space? Doesn't it infuriate you?" Mako gripped Rei's wrists and rolled her over, pinning her down.
"Of course it does." She responded. "But it's for the princess, remember? I can tolerate it for her."
"You always had that strength." Rei muttered, kicking herself free.
"Ow! Shit, Mars, watch the heels!" Jupiter cried, clutching her side. Rei bit her lip.
"Sorry."
"It's good. Your turn!" Jupiter laid a heavy kick along Rei's shoulder. "It's got to be something more than just having visitors. Mina told me that you were really agitated last night coming back from visiting Pheobos and Deminos. That usually makes you really calm, so what happened?"
"I got into a.heated.discussion with Lord Jadeite."
"The blonde one, right?"
"Yes. I don't know what it was about him that made me boil, Mako! It was awful. Like, everything he said rubbed me the wrong way. He was such a prick." The sparring continued. "And the worst thing is, I think he knows how livid he made me. It would have been so much easier to be angry at him if he didn't care, but knowing that he does."
"I see. You always want things to be so clean-cut, Mars." Jupiter chastised, flipping back away from an attack. "You want to hate him because he's annoying, but you feel sorry because he's already shown you that there's more to him." She lunged at Rei, who flipped her smoothly over a shoulder and held her captive.
"I don't know whether you're very stupid or very perceptive." She grunted, keeping her hold on the struggling senshi.
"Both, my dear friend." Jupiter mocked. "Just be careful. Things like that can escalate out of proportion quickly."
"You sound like Mina." Rei grumbled. "And that's a disgusting thought. I know my duties. No man, especially an annoying one, would make me forget that." She elbowed Mako sharply and shifted her own grip, until the tall warrior was pinned instead of her.
"I'm just trying to be helpful."
"I know." Rei released her captive and smiled, wiping her brow. "Thanks, I feel much better." With an understanding nod, Makoto started towards the sidelines to towel off.
"Anytime." she tossed a glance back at her friend to make sure she was a decent distance away before continuing her thought with a smirk. "Still, what harm could there be in a little playing around? I mean, he is really cute..."
She didn't bother to look back as she heard the indignant gasp behind her. She simply ran, laughing as her friend screeched after her, shouting profanities at her joke. Neither one noticed that they were being watched from the balcony.
Nephrite had found the training grounds completely by accident, taking the time after breakfast to wander the castle and try to better quaint himself with his surroundings. Zoisite had followed Lady Mercury to the library, and Kunzite had gone to speak with Jade, leaving Nephrite alone. When he heard the sounds of a battle, he went to investigate and found himself overlooking the grand arena and looking down upon the most extraordinary scene.
At first, he didn't know what to make of what he saw. Below he saw two women, wearing garments made for movement and certainly not for modesty. The gentleman within urged him to look away from such a scandalous sight, but he could not. The clothing was a distraction, true enough, but soon the sheer beauty of the battle kept him entranced. He had met plenty of flexible women in his time, oh yes, but these women were the type to follow the 'pain before pleasure' motto. He wondered vaguely if the entire planet was occupied by women, until he realized that the two sparring partners were the ladies themselves.
"What the hell kind of a place is this?" he wondered out loud as the spar ended. He couldn't hear what was being said, but it looked as though something important had been resolved. He sat down and watched silently as the ladies left the arena, Mars railing after Jupiter in friendly banter.
Things just kept getting stranger and stranger. First, the moon. Now, women without modesty who fight like men. What next, flying saucers? It would fit in nicely to the little circus they were living. It was mildly disturbing. Part of him wanted nothing more than to take Endymion back home, go back to warring against Beryl. At least that was constant, and made sense. But in the back of his mind, a voice whispered faintly to him about the adventure of the unknown, and he quelled his doubts and took things at face value. After a while, he stood again and started wandering once more. The palace was immense, but he was careful to note his directions so as not to get lost. he did notice that Zoisite's comment earlier had been entirely correct, nowhere could he hear any sound other than that of his own footsteps. It was eerie.
He passed what he assumed to be the servants quarters, but even they were silent. It became almost obsessive, as the walk lengthened further and further, to find something, anything else alive in the vast emptiness. So it was a great relief when he came to the stables to see four strong, healthy horses grazing placidly at the trough and in the distant plains beyond, more scattered horses.
"That's a relief." he sighed to himself, walking over and stroking the soft nose of one of the nearby creatures. She nickered softly and lapped at his shirt, searching for a treat.
"Here, she likes apples best." He turned, startled, to see Lady Venus holding out a ripe apple to him. She was wearing clothing best suited for work, her luxurious hair fishtailed tightly down her back and her head capped with a red bandana. Her skirt was brown tweed and only fell to her calves, suitable for movement. A well worn apron covered the ensemble and she carried a shovel over her shoulder.
"Milady." he smiled and took the apple from her and offered it to the horse, who ate greedily. Venus laughed.
"I think she likes you."
"Well, that makes one." he laughed darkly to himself, then caught her eye and cleared his throat. "Pardon, Lady Venus. She's a beautiful horse."
"Her name's Deneb, for the star." The lady put her hand on a patch of white between the creature's eyes, and the horse took a break from her treat to butt playfully at her mistress.
"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."
"What do you mean by that?" Venus demanded, looking at him sharply.
"You must admit, lady, there is plenty of strange things in this place. Take for instance, yourself."
"Watch yourself, sir, else our hospitality may wane." she warned him, taking a step back.
"No, I mean simply how you bear yourself. How all you ladies do. It's beyond anything I've ever seen before." he scratched under Deneb's chin, trying to hide his frustration. "You're out here, ready to clean the stables yourself instead of letting some servant do it for you. No lady I've ever known would do such a thing."
"Clearly you Terrans have strange customs." she replied, shifting uncomfortably.
"Perhaps. Maybe it is only because of these customs you speak of that I found it so strange to watch two well-bred ladies in combat that could rival any man in my army on Earth." he looked at her intently. "Lady Jupiter has been making our meals instead of a palace chef, Lady Mercury is the only physician, and while both are immensely good at what they do I find it odd that nobility should fill such menial positions. Forgive me, my lady, but you must understand how it seems to us strangers, and if your heritage comes in question."
Lady Venus fairly bristled at this. Nephrite watched her carefully, ready to amend any of his statements if she took them the wrong way. Yet he wouldn't, unless she gave him reason to. Perhaps he could find something out. She carefully leaned her shovel against the side of the stall and looked at with such intensity he felt his gaze slipping. Yet he held firm, until at last she sighed and picked up her shovel again.
"I do not blame you for having questions. You are not stupid, which is nice to know. Still, I'm afraid I can only leave you your speculations. Nothing you ask can get an answer from me, or any of my ladies. It would be best if you simply accepted things they way they are here." her smile was not entirely sincere. "You will be staying quite a while, I'm afraid."
"So I've gathered." he replied dryly. He watched her labor for a few moments in silence before speaking again. "If we are to be here for a while, perhaps there are ways that we can be made useful?" he offered his hand for the shovel. She looked at it a moment, then at him.
"I am capable of cleaning the stables myself."
"I can see that. But simply because you are capable, does that mean you must? Here I am, a strong, unworked man, offering his services. Will you deny me the chance to earn my keep?" It was the least he could do.
Her gaze slid over him a moment longer. He certainly was built well, and while a little too forward in his speech he didn't seem to offer his services simply because of her gender. She handed him the shovel.
"Forgive me if I stay to oversee, but we are particular about the care given to our steeds." she explained as he rolled up his sleeves and stepped into the stall with her.
"Of course. You needn't fear, I keep horses at home."
"That doesn't necessarily mean you've worked them. 'It is odd that nobility should fill such menial positions', I believe you said." she reminded him, throwing his own words back at him. Nephrite laughed and continued working.
"Touché, milady."
***
Zoisite was frozen in place when Lady Mercury led him into the library. It wasn't that he hadn't seen so many books before, for his own collection on Earth was nearly as large. The subject matter, however, was something to marvel at. There were history books that he had never heard of, fiction by authors unknown, language books in alien tongues, and, as promised, herb lore not of Earth.
"Don't just gawk, you wished to look into herb lore, did you not?" Lady Mercury asked him, drawing his gaze from the grand ceiling and back to her.
"Of course." he followed her deeper into the shelves as she led him towards the section they wished. "Are all of these available to read? I would very much like to do so."
Her back was turned to him, so he did not see her frown. Again she questioned her wisdom in allowing him to join her in this private place. Another thought plagued her. What if he happened to discover the truth about the Moon Kingdom? Dare she trust him with the information so readily accessible in the library? And what if he found out about the curse? It was possible that he would try to do something about it, and while that was what they all wanted, perhaps it wouldn't work if the kiss was out of duty and not out of love...and really, was he the kind of man that would be worthy of her princess?
"Perhaps..." she responded hesitantly, not willing to completely forbid him. She mentally ran through the collection held in the library, trying to pick out any books that might be potentially dangerous. "I admit, I'm not entirely comfortable letting strangers in here. It has been a private space for me for a long time."
"I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable, lady." She let out her breath in relief. He responded just as she hoped. "But the library is so large, and you the only one to spend time here? Surely there are other patrons in such a large palace as this."
Not the response she hoped for.
"Well...um, no, not really..." she stumbled, not sure how to respond. His green eyes watched her intently, making her feel very self-conscious and fearful that she might let more slip, as she had accidentally done the night before. "Here are the books we want." Relieved to once more be on impersonal ground, she quickly grabbed a few almanacs from the shelves and took them to a table and sat down. He followed her eagerly. To her dismay, he sat beside her to look at the books over her shoulder. She could feel a discomfited heat rise through her neck and cheeks, but firmly pushed it aside. He was only here for the princess's sake, as were they all. While she had been thinking, he had already flipped through the book to a now familiar herb.
"Ah! Martian Redroot." He looked at the book again in admiration. "I had no idea there were so many plants on Mars. Or on any other planet. I had no idea there were plants anywhere else, or people, or anything..."
"Given the circumstances, it's entirely understandable." she assured him.
"Circumstances?" he leaned closer inquisitively.
"Er, never mind." she back away slightly, then stood. "I'll get some more books..."
Zoisite watched her go with amusement. Perhaps it was cruel of him, to intentionally make that coral blush grace her cheeks. He wouldn't deny that he found her attractive, in fact, he quite found all of the ladies attractive. Yet Lady Mercury had something the others didn't...reserve. She had it in abundance. It was like a logic game, cracking her open. He liked logic. It wasn't that he wanted to play with her emotions or anything, he was simply...curious. The entire situation he found himself in fascinated him. He could see that something was going on behind those royal blue eyes of her, and he was itching to discover what it was.
When she came back, she sat pointedly across from him.
~~~ Well folks, what did I say? The more you review, the more likely it is that I'll update ^.~ Anyway, now that there's a lull in my life (what with the new semester just starting) I've got some big plans for this story. Keep looking for updates, I'll try to keep them semi-regular. As always, thank you for reading! ~Wil-chan
"Spar. Now." Without further questioning, the tall woman followed her friend to the training center. They both transformed and began their warm- up exercises. It started off easy, with simple dodges and blows, but Makoto noticed a conviction in the punches that seemed to be aimed outside of the ring. Their hands met again, the slapping of flesh and the smell of sweat beginning to fill the room. Makoto knew well enough by this time that something was bothering her friend, and was wise enough to let her beat out her aggressions without question. It wasn't until she blocked a stinging blow from Rei that she dared ask anything.
"Okay. Out with it." She demanded, gripping Rei's arm and twisting it. The smaller senshi was breathing heavily but struggled only slightly.
"What do you mean?" she panted, blowing a lock of hair out of her mouth. She wrenched free and began again.
"I mean, something's on your mind. We sparred yesterday, Rei. You wouldn't need this unless something was on your mind. I know you too well by now, so out with it."
Rei grunted and lunged again. "It's nothing." Jupiter laughed and rolled out of the way easily.
"Really, Rei, you know you'll feel better if you just talk to me." She kicked her feet out and knocked the Martian down. Rei took the tumble and rolled back into a standing position. She let down her stance a moment to run her hand through her sweaty hair. Jupiter stood too and took the chance to catch her breath.
"You're right, of course. I would, too, if I could get my thoughts in order." In an instant, she had taken on battle stance and tackled Jupiter. With a cry, the two women toppled to the ground. "How can you stand it, Mako? Having them in our personal space? Doesn't it infuriate you?" Mako gripped Rei's wrists and rolled her over, pinning her down.
"Of course it does." She responded. "But it's for the princess, remember? I can tolerate it for her."
"You always had that strength." Rei muttered, kicking herself free.
"Ow! Shit, Mars, watch the heels!" Jupiter cried, clutching her side. Rei bit her lip.
"Sorry."
"It's good. Your turn!" Jupiter laid a heavy kick along Rei's shoulder. "It's got to be something more than just having visitors. Mina told me that you were really agitated last night coming back from visiting Pheobos and Deminos. That usually makes you really calm, so what happened?"
"I got into a.heated.discussion with Lord Jadeite."
"The blonde one, right?"
"Yes. I don't know what it was about him that made me boil, Mako! It was awful. Like, everything he said rubbed me the wrong way. He was such a prick." The sparring continued. "And the worst thing is, I think he knows how livid he made me. It would have been so much easier to be angry at him if he didn't care, but knowing that he does."
"I see. You always want things to be so clean-cut, Mars." Jupiter chastised, flipping back away from an attack. "You want to hate him because he's annoying, but you feel sorry because he's already shown you that there's more to him." She lunged at Rei, who flipped her smoothly over a shoulder and held her captive.
"I don't know whether you're very stupid or very perceptive." She grunted, keeping her hold on the struggling senshi.
"Both, my dear friend." Jupiter mocked. "Just be careful. Things like that can escalate out of proportion quickly."
"You sound like Mina." Rei grumbled. "And that's a disgusting thought. I know my duties. No man, especially an annoying one, would make me forget that." She elbowed Mako sharply and shifted her own grip, until the tall warrior was pinned instead of her.
"I'm just trying to be helpful."
"I know." Rei released her captive and smiled, wiping her brow. "Thanks, I feel much better." With an understanding nod, Makoto started towards the sidelines to towel off.
"Anytime." she tossed a glance back at her friend to make sure she was a decent distance away before continuing her thought with a smirk. "Still, what harm could there be in a little playing around? I mean, he is really cute..."
She didn't bother to look back as she heard the indignant gasp behind her. She simply ran, laughing as her friend screeched after her, shouting profanities at her joke. Neither one noticed that they were being watched from the balcony.
Nephrite had found the training grounds completely by accident, taking the time after breakfast to wander the castle and try to better quaint himself with his surroundings. Zoisite had followed Lady Mercury to the library, and Kunzite had gone to speak with Jade, leaving Nephrite alone. When he heard the sounds of a battle, he went to investigate and found himself overlooking the grand arena and looking down upon the most extraordinary scene.
At first, he didn't know what to make of what he saw. Below he saw two women, wearing garments made for movement and certainly not for modesty. The gentleman within urged him to look away from such a scandalous sight, but he could not. The clothing was a distraction, true enough, but soon the sheer beauty of the battle kept him entranced. He had met plenty of flexible women in his time, oh yes, but these women were the type to follow the 'pain before pleasure' motto. He wondered vaguely if the entire planet was occupied by women, until he realized that the two sparring partners were the ladies themselves.
"What the hell kind of a place is this?" he wondered out loud as the spar ended. He couldn't hear what was being said, but it looked as though something important had been resolved. He sat down and watched silently as the ladies left the arena, Mars railing after Jupiter in friendly banter.
Things just kept getting stranger and stranger. First, the moon. Now, women without modesty who fight like men. What next, flying saucers? It would fit in nicely to the little circus they were living. It was mildly disturbing. Part of him wanted nothing more than to take Endymion back home, go back to warring against Beryl. At least that was constant, and made sense. But in the back of his mind, a voice whispered faintly to him about the adventure of the unknown, and he quelled his doubts and took things at face value. After a while, he stood again and started wandering once more. The palace was immense, but he was careful to note his directions so as not to get lost. he did notice that Zoisite's comment earlier had been entirely correct, nowhere could he hear any sound other than that of his own footsteps. It was eerie.
He passed what he assumed to be the servants quarters, but even they were silent. It became almost obsessive, as the walk lengthened further and further, to find something, anything else alive in the vast emptiness. So it was a great relief when he came to the stables to see four strong, healthy horses grazing placidly at the trough and in the distant plains beyond, more scattered horses.
"That's a relief." he sighed to himself, walking over and stroking the soft nose of one of the nearby creatures. She nickered softly and lapped at his shirt, searching for a treat.
"Here, she likes apples best." He turned, startled, to see Lady Venus holding out a ripe apple to him. She was wearing clothing best suited for work, her luxurious hair fishtailed tightly down her back and her head capped with a red bandana. Her skirt was brown tweed and only fell to her calves, suitable for movement. A well worn apron covered the ensemble and she carried a shovel over her shoulder.
"Milady." he smiled and took the apple from her and offered it to the horse, who ate greedily. Venus laughed.
"I think she likes you."
"Well, that makes one." he laughed darkly to himself, then caught her eye and cleared his throat. "Pardon, Lady Venus. She's a beautiful horse."
"Her name's Deneb, for the star." The lady put her hand on a patch of white between the creature's eyes, and the horse took a break from her treat to butt playfully at her mistress.
"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."
"What do you mean by that?" Venus demanded, looking at him sharply.
"You must admit, lady, there is plenty of strange things in this place. Take for instance, yourself."
"Watch yourself, sir, else our hospitality may wane." she warned him, taking a step back.
"No, I mean simply how you bear yourself. How all you ladies do. It's beyond anything I've ever seen before." he scratched under Deneb's chin, trying to hide his frustration. "You're out here, ready to clean the stables yourself instead of letting some servant do it for you. No lady I've ever known would do such a thing."
"Clearly you Terrans have strange customs." she replied, shifting uncomfortably.
"Perhaps. Maybe it is only because of these customs you speak of that I found it so strange to watch two well-bred ladies in combat that could rival any man in my army on Earth." he looked at her intently. "Lady Jupiter has been making our meals instead of a palace chef, Lady Mercury is the only physician, and while both are immensely good at what they do I find it odd that nobility should fill such menial positions. Forgive me, my lady, but you must understand how it seems to us strangers, and if your heritage comes in question."
Lady Venus fairly bristled at this. Nephrite watched her carefully, ready to amend any of his statements if she took them the wrong way. Yet he wouldn't, unless she gave him reason to. Perhaps he could find something out. She carefully leaned her shovel against the side of the stall and looked at with such intensity he felt his gaze slipping. Yet he held firm, until at last she sighed and picked up her shovel again.
"I do not blame you for having questions. You are not stupid, which is nice to know. Still, I'm afraid I can only leave you your speculations. Nothing you ask can get an answer from me, or any of my ladies. It would be best if you simply accepted things they way they are here." her smile was not entirely sincere. "You will be staying quite a while, I'm afraid."
"So I've gathered." he replied dryly. He watched her labor for a few moments in silence before speaking again. "If we are to be here for a while, perhaps there are ways that we can be made useful?" he offered his hand for the shovel. She looked at it a moment, then at him.
"I am capable of cleaning the stables myself."
"I can see that. But simply because you are capable, does that mean you must? Here I am, a strong, unworked man, offering his services. Will you deny me the chance to earn my keep?" It was the least he could do.
Her gaze slid over him a moment longer. He certainly was built well, and while a little too forward in his speech he didn't seem to offer his services simply because of her gender. She handed him the shovel.
"Forgive me if I stay to oversee, but we are particular about the care given to our steeds." she explained as he rolled up his sleeves and stepped into the stall with her.
"Of course. You needn't fear, I keep horses at home."
"That doesn't necessarily mean you've worked them. 'It is odd that nobility should fill such menial positions', I believe you said." she reminded him, throwing his own words back at him. Nephrite laughed and continued working.
"Touché, milady."
***
Zoisite was frozen in place when Lady Mercury led him into the library. It wasn't that he hadn't seen so many books before, for his own collection on Earth was nearly as large. The subject matter, however, was something to marvel at. There were history books that he had never heard of, fiction by authors unknown, language books in alien tongues, and, as promised, herb lore not of Earth.
"Don't just gawk, you wished to look into herb lore, did you not?" Lady Mercury asked him, drawing his gaze from the grand ceiling and back to her.
"Of course." he followed her deeper into the shelves as she led him towards the section they wished. "Are all of these available to read? I would very much like to do so."
Her back was turned to him, so he did not see her frown. Again she questioned her wisdom in allowing him to join her in this private place. Another thought plagued her. What if he happened to discover the truth about the Moon Kingdom? Dare she trust him with the information so readily accessible in the library? And what if he found out about the curse? It was possible that he would try to do something about it, and while that was what they all wanted, perhaps it wouldn't work if the kiss was out of duty and not out of love...and really, was he the kind of man that would be worthy of her princess?
"Perhaps..." she responded hesitantly, not willing to completely forbid him. She mentally ran through the collection held in the library, trying to pick out any books that might be potentially dangerous. "I admit, I'm not entirely comfortable letting strangers in here. It has been a private space for me for a long time."
"I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable, lady." She let out her breath in relief. He responded just as she hoped. "But the library is so large, and you the only one to spend time here? Surely there are other patrons in such a large palace as this."
Not the response she hoped for.
"Well...um, no, not really..." she stumbled, not sure how to respond. His green eyes watched her intently, making her feel very self-conscious and fearful that she might let more slip, as she had accidentally done the night before. "Here are the books we want." Relieved to once more be on impersonal ground, she quickly grabbed a few almanacs from the shelves and took them to a table and sat down. He followed her eagerly. To her dismay, he sat beside her to look at the books over her shoulder. She could feel a discomfited heat rise through her neck and cheeks, but firmly pushed it aside. He was only here for the princess's sake, as were they all. While she had been thinking, he had already flipped through the book to a now familiar herb.
"Ah! Martian Redroot." He looked at the book again in admiration. "I had no idea there were so many plants on Mars. Or on any other planet. I had no idea there were plants anywhere else, or people, or anything..."
"Given the circumstances, it's entirely understandable." she assured him.
"Circumstances?" he leaned closer inquisitively.
"Er, never mind." she back away slightly, then stood. "I'll get some more books..."
Zoisite watched her go with amusement. Perhaps it was cruel of him, to intentionally make that coral blush grace her cheeks. He wouldn't deny that he found her attractive, in fact, he quite found all of the ladies attractive. Yet Lady Mercury had something the others didn't...reserve. She had it in abundance. It was like a logic game, cracking her open. He liked logic. It wasn't that he wanted to play with her emotions or anything, he was simply...curious. The entire situation he found himself in fascinated him. He could see that something was going on behind those royal blue eyes of her, and he was itching to discover what it was.
When she came back, she sat pointedly across from him.
~~~ Well folks, what did I say? The more you review, the more likely it is that I'll update ^.~ Anyway, now that there's a lull in my life (what with the new semester just starting) I've got some big plans for this story. Keep looking for updates, I'll try to keep them semi-regular. As always, thank you for reading! ~Wil-chan